New Zealand Legislation: Acts
Acts are laws made by Parliament
(1) This Act aims to achieve its purpose by providing that no agricultural compound may be used (including imported, manufactured, or sold) in New Zealand unless that use is authorised by or under this Act.
(2) The 2 main mechanisms for authorising use of an agricultural compound are—
(a) an assessment of the compound, and its registration for use subject to specifically imposed conditions:
(b) an exemption from the requirement to register the compound, so long as any specified conditions for exemption are met.
(3) A range of conditions may be imposed to manage the risks associated with agricultural compounds. These conditions may relate to substances, products, systems, or people’s behaviour, and may be imposed—
(a) directly by the Director-General when an agricultural compound is registered or exempted from the requirement to be registered; or
(b) generally, by regulations.
(4) The Director-General may also issue notices that set out the technical detail of how compliance with conditions imposed by regulations can be achieved.
(5) This Act, by its subject matter, has a relationship with other Acts such as the Animal Products Act 1999, the Food Act 1981, the Wine Act 2003, the Animal Welfare Act 1999, the Biosecurity Act 1993, the Medicines Act 1981, and the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1986. Generally, the outcomes for which this Act regulates are those set under the other related Acts. For example:
(a) maximum residue limits for food products are set under the Food Act 1981; while
(b) this Act assesses and controls agricultural compounds to ensure the Food Act residue limit is not breached.
Section 4A: inserted, on 18 October 2007, by section 6 of the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 93).
